The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has shifted the hearing of an appeal challenging the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, and three other political parties to July 7.

Earlier on Wednesday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, adjourned a suit filed by Nafiu-Bala Gombe until June 30, 2026, seeking to stop the David Mark-led leadership of ADC from parading themselves as leaders of the party.

The appellate court, yesterday, shifted the hearing date from June 25 to July 7 to enable the parties in the suit to file and exchange their processes of arguments for a full-scale hearing.

At Thursday’s proceedings, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), who stood for the Accord Party, informed the three-man panel of justices of the court that the record of appeal and final judgment of the Federal High Court were just obtained on Monday and transmitted to the Court of Appeal as required by law.

The senior lawyer subsequently applied for a short adjournment to enable him and others in the matter to file their briefs of argument and exchange them for the matter to be heard. No party opposed the application, promoting the presiding Justice Abubakar Mohammed to shift the hearing till July 7 by 2 pm.

AlthoughAdetunbi (SAN) applied for three days to file and exchange briefs of argument, Mohammed said some of the justices would be out of Abuja next week for a special session elsewhere and announced July 7 as the hearing date.

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had, in a judgment, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC and four other political parties on the grounds that they did not fulfil constitutional requirements in the previous election.

Although INEC opposed the move on the grounds that the parties met the required constitutional requirements and even provided evidence, the judge nonetheless deregistered the five parties.

However, the Court of Appeal on June 16 ordered suspension of execution of the judgment by INEC on the ground that it was delivered in flagrant disobedience to its order that proceedings in the matter should be put on hold.

GOMBE’S suit, which was fixed for Wednesday, for the hearing of all pending applications, could not proceed.

Earlier, when the matter was called, all the lawyers for the parties were present except Suleiman Usman (SAN), counsel for Senator Mark.

With the agreement of counsel, Justice Lifu stood down the matter for 15 minutes to give Usman the opportunity to also be heard, and another case was called pending the senior lawyer’s arrival.

However, after the case ended, Lifu stood down proceedings and rose.

Lawyers were then asked to take another date after waiting for some minutes.

Justice Lifu had, on June 16, fixed Wednesday for the hearing of all pending applications after dismissing the application seeking his recusal from the case.

The judge, who held that the two motions filed by ADC and Aregbesola (1st and 3rd defendants) lacked merit, awarded a fine of N1 million each against ADC and Aregbesola, the embattled National Secretary of the party, in favour of Gombe.

ADC and Aregbesola had, in separate motions, asked Lifu to withdraw from the suit filed by Gombe, an aggrieved party member, citing alleged bias.

Gombe, in the suit, is seeking an order restraining Mark, Aregbesola and members of their interim National Working Committee (NWC) from parading themselves as the party’s leaders.